This year has certainly been the year of change and rethinking. I started off the year with a wonderful lineup of in-person teaching opportunities. Now I am ending the year with much less ahead —thank you, South Carolina Knitting Guild, for soldiering forth — and not a lot on the horizon. Kanuga, Carolina Fiber Fest, Unwind, STITCHES United, Blue Ridge Fiber Fest would normally be on my calendar. Some of these are canceled; some are planning but may be virtual. There is still a lot of uncertainty.
I am slowly adapting to this new landscape. I've done some teaching online, most notably for virtual New York Sheep and Wool Festival. Back in the summer, one of my students contacted me for help altering a pattern. We were able to meet over Facetime; and that worked pretty well. I've been meeting some local students in person once a week. We wear masks and use hand sanitizer and generally try to be careful. I have a long list of videos I need to shoot and a new pattern is close to being released. I've done a virtual presentation for an online Atlanta Knitting Guild meeting.
And I recently tried one more thing I hadn't before — finishing someone else's garment.
This is a top made by one of my students. Other than the mohair flounce, it is two strands of silk held together. In stockinette, this produces a heathered effect. I'm not typically a fan of neutrals, but this one is nice. It is neutral without being dull. The pattern is a front, back, and two short sleeves. Then the whole thing needed to be seamed together. This was my first time assembling a sweater for pay.
In addition to sewing the seams, I also mended an imperfection in the yarn. This slub ended up in the middle of the garment on the front belly. I was able to remove it and insert matching yarn.
Not sure if finishing other people's sweaters or mending other people's knitting will become something I commonly do? But, like so much of 2020, it has been an opportunity to try one more thing I might not have done if the world hadn't changed.
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